Travel Writing Scholarship 2011- Entries have now closed

Do you want to be a published travel writer?

Go on assignment to Istanbul with Rough Guides!

Kick start your travel writing career by going on assignment to Istanbul, Turkey. After touching base with your travel writing mentor, you will hit the road for 7 days reviewing and writing for The Rough Guide to Istanbul for your chance to get published. You will also have the chance to satisfy your adventure cravings on a 12 day Turkish Delight tour, biking, hiking and kayaking your way through Turkey with BikeHike Adventures.

Your assignment brief

* We'll fly you to Istanbul from your country of residence. You need to be available betweenJune 7th - 28th, 2011 to participate on the assignment

* After spending two days learning the ropes with mentor Terry Richardson, you will research, review and update essential travel info for 'The Rough Guide to Istanbul', including accommodation, bars & restaurants, entertainment, shopping, tours, activities and transport, as well as searching out those local secrets that travellers want to read about.

* Your mentor will be at hand to offer guidance, but essentially this is your assignment; you will travel on your own for this part of the journey so you must be comfortable travelling solo. Terry will assign you a specific area based on your travel experience.

* Your work will feature in the new edition of 'The Rough Guide to Istanbul', placing your foot firmly in the door of the elusive travel writing industry!

Before you meet your mentor, enjoy immersing yourself in the Turkish culture, get your travel writing skills up to speed and satisfy your adventure cravings! BikeHike Adventures will provide you with the ultimate buffet of multi-sports activities with a 12 day itinerary on their Turkish Delight tour highlighting most of Turkey's trusted gems. The trip includes exploring the fairytale landscape of Cappadocia by mountain bike, foot and horseback, strolling through Istanbul visiting the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia, the Grand Bazaar and Palace and sea kayaking on the Mediterranean past ancient ruins.

Assignment location

Turkey is a vast country – France would fit within its boundaries with plenty of room to spare – incorporating characteristics of Middle Eastern and Aegean, as well as Balkan and trans-Caucasian, countries. Mosques coexist with Orthodox churches; Roman theatres and temples crumble alongside ancient Hittite cities; and dervish ceremonies or gypsy festivals are as much a part of the social landscape as classical music concerts or delirious sports fans. The one constant in all this – and one of the things that makes Turkey such a rewarding place to travel – is the Turkish people, whose reputation for friendliness and hospitality is richly deserved.

Who can apply

* The scholarship is open to students, emerging and non-professional writers and lovers of travel looking for a career change.

* You must have a high degree of proficiency in written English.

* The opportunity is designed to give you a taste of what it's like to be a travel writer on the road, so you must be comfortable doing some travel on your own.

* Minimum age 18 with a current passport and you must be available as per the dates set out. Please note these dates are not changeable in anyway, you must be available for the entire assignment.

* You should be an exceptional writer with a lust for adventure travel and a burning desire to be a travel writer!

What constitutes a professional travel writer?

Essentially this is a 'learning opportunity' for someone who is looking for an introduction into the travel writing industry and importantly to be mentored.

As a guide, for the purposes of the opportunity, we would consider you to be professional travel writer if you have been published regularly in newspapers, travel magazines or travel journals. We would also consider you to be a professional travel writer if you derive more than 25% of your income from travel writing.

If you have had a few stories published, or keep a regular travel blog etc then we would not consider this professional.

We would also like to further clarify that a professional writer of any sort (travel writer or otherwise) is not eligible to apply if they derive more than 25% of their income from writing.

Please consider the spirit of the program which is intended to help those with a burning desire to be a travel writer and need some help getting started.

Apply now

If you want it, you've got to show it. To apply you need to:

1. Write. Craft a 500 word (or less) travel focused essay based on a personal experience around one of the following themes;

a. 'Responsible Travel'

b. 'Journey in an Unknown Culture'

c. 'My Big Adventure'

It's up to you to convince our judging panel through your writing that you have the spirit of adventure and passion for travel writing to be chosen for this scholarship. We will be looking for:

- great descriptive ability - strong eye for detail - ability to uncover and tell a compelling story - excellent spelling and grammar and a knack for avoiding clichés

2. Complete an entry form which includes contact details and a maximum 200 word essay on why you should be chosen and what the opportunity will mean for you. Your answer will provide considerable weight in the judging process.

3. One entry per person.

4. The entry must be submitted in English.

Applications close March 28, 2011 at 2pm.(Australian Eastern Daylight Time)

The recipient of the Scholarship, along with the best entries will be published on the WorldNomads.com website on April 28th, 2011.

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Comments

1

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My university hasn't broken up for summer at this point. :-(

Always next year!

Alex Feb 1, 2011 10:34 AM

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Oooh so exciting!!

This truly is an amazing opportunity for wannabe travel writers... Awesomeness in a scholarship, actually! Winning this scholarship last year launched my travel writing travel writing career far and beyond anything I could've ever expected. Shadowing Simon and working on the Japan and Tokyo titles was an absolute blast and I've recently finished up my first solo job as a Rough Guides author working on the next edition of the guide to Australia! Fun, fun, fun! It's true what they say though - there's a lot of hard work involved, but at the end of the day, if this is your passion then there's no better way to get your foot in the door. I mean, where else could you have the chance to be mentored by some of the best in the industry while working on an actual travel guide?!?

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It looks very exciting!

My only query is with regards to travelling experience - I note that it says that applicants must be comfortable travelling alone, and I believe I would be; however, I have no way to know for certain, as I've never travelled outside of Australia!

Are people who have never had the opportunity to travel overseas able to apply, or are you after those with previous travel experience?

Thank you!

Jess Feb 17, 2011 12:41 PM

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Great contest!!!, too pity I can´t participate because of my english proficiency. It will be great if WorldNomads and its contest began to expand into spanish and other languages too. We demand it! :)

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Hi Jess,

As part of the scholarship experience dictates that you do some of the travel on your own, we do stipulate that you must be very comfortable travelling on your own. We wouldn't want to put anyone is a position where they are way out of their comfort zone as this would prevent you from enjoying the experience and making the most out of the learning opportunity.

We have not qualified this to say that you must have travelled on your own previously but you must feel very confident about the idea, particularly with a destination like Istanbul which may be a little confronting for first time travelers or first time solo travelers.

My advice would be if you have any doubt about it all, then perhaps this particular opportunity is not right for you.

Natalia - thanks for the feedback, we'll certainly keep this in mind if we get the opportunity to expand the program in this way.

11

This contest, whether you win or not, will truly enrich you. Highly admirable! Just a question though...Is it acceptable to write of a travel experience from one's own country? Does it always have to be a travel to a land overseas? Thank you and more power!

Ivory Feb 23, 2011 9:42 PM

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This is such a fantastic sounding opportunity, I will most certainly be submitting an entry for this competition :D!

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Hi Amanda - I've uploaded my story and tried to link a couple of photos from my Flickr account. I'm not sure they're showing up properly though, as I don't see them. The story URL is http://journals.worldnomads.com/danshugar/story/68997/Tunisia/My-Travel-Writing-Scholarship-2011-entry-My-Big-Adventure I think. Any help is appreciated (or email me at dshugar (at) sfu.ca).Cheers, Dan

Hi Dan, You haven't actually linked to any images (ie: a url that ends with .jpg) - you have tried to link to a flickr page instead, which wont show up as an image. You don't need photos in your story, they are not part of the judging process.

16

I am honored to have submitted to something like this. Hopefully in time, I shall know if my proficiency in English would amount to anything considering I am of Arabic and Filipino heritage...and sadly, could not speak Arabic nor the different dialects of my Filipino sides correctly...English is all I know and hopefully it carries me as it is the language I have been expressing myself in since the day I was born.

Thanks guys for making such a beautiful experience within reach for so many struggling writers. :)

17

Is this open to citizens of any country?

Yes all nationalities may apply. Thanks, Amanda

Christa Mar 7, 2011 7:44 PM

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I have always aspired to write about the roads taken and not taken...I surprisingly stumbled upon this website and am so happy to read about this program...but hey, I am currently working as a copywriter in advertising field...But I was always interested to be a travel writer..am i eligible for this program??

19

I'll turn 18 this October :(

Sarah Mar 9, 2011 2:26 AM

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Amazing contest! <br>I am starting to write my history, but I still have a question... I will write about 'Journey in an Unknown Culture', and the great personal experience I had on this theme was in Turkey. Does it affect my chances to win?

Hi Marianne, your story can be set anywhere, you won't be penalised in any way for writing about Turkey. Amanda

Marianne Mar 9, 2011 11:34 AM

21

I am still waiting for my passport.is it OK for apply it now?But, I am sure to have my passport at June.

Thank you.

bio novika Mar 9, 2011 6:02 PM

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Hi Amanda, I was one of the finalists in the last year's competition. Can I send in an entry this year too?

Thanks

Ragini Mar 10, 2011 1:52 AM

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It's too bad i can't drive a bike :(

Jennifer Mar 11, 2011 2:24 PM

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Sorry to be painful but I just wanted to check to see if I qualify as a "writer". I work as a media officer for a council and write media releases and assist with enquiries and designing publications. Cheers, Kate

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HiI work for a newspaper as a sub-editor. I was wondering if I can still apply for this.Thank you!

Liza Mar 13, 2011 3:28 AM

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Wasn't it a really great idea to visit WorldNomads.com tonight???? *pats self on the shoulder* YES :)

I've been thinking for months, trying to figure out how possible it would be for me - some unknown dreamer trapped on a little island - to have a career in travel writing. This is great! Reading about this opportunity gives me hope! I'm still at university, however, and will be enrolling in summer school this year - my final year - but if this opportunity can appear in 2011, it sure can next year! So I won't shed a tear over the fact that I will be missing the Istanbul opportunity, I'll just look forward to 2012!!

31

For the purposes of this scholarship we define a writer as "someone how derives more than 25% of their income form writing and/or someone who has been published more than occasionally"

Kate - I think working as a PR officer is not technically working as a writer so you should be fine.

Liz Mar - I think editing for newspaper is considered working as a writer, so I dont think you will be eligible.

Daninijakitten - Without understanding your full circumstances, refer to the above criteria to see if you are eligible.

Bio Novika - you must have a valid passport by the trip beginning. So if you can guarantee this then you are fine to enter.

Ragin - there is nothing in the competition to preclude you from entering the same piece. Generally we find the standard of entries increases each year, so you might want to keep this is mind. Also the judging panel will have new people involved.

32

Hi,

With regards to the application eligibility, I still dont get it why its also restricted to those who earn a living by writing even non travel materials.

I am a journalist with business paper and I am keen to join as I entered this writing industry to be able to one day pursue travel writing, and now my query can I or can I be eligible for this scholarship?

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hello dear!I wanna say that i belong to poor family and my family can't afford my expenditures therefore i am applying that might i will get chance to go foreign for further studies.I will be thankful to you whether you give me chancei am studying in inter class in Govt boys collegemy address is House no D.200 block iv qasimabad hyderabad, sindh, Pakistan

35

really want it so much....my English is not fluently....but, i think that is interesting....when a foreigner writing his experience about the new place and the unknown culture....can i write it in my version????....in Indonesian word that i mix it with English....

This opportunity is very much for someone who is starting out in their writing career, and would benefit the most from having professional writing mentorship. It is a rather grey area trying to define what makes a 'professional writer' and obviously this would be interpreted differently in other writing competitions/opportunities because there is no universally agreed definition. It is however necessary for the purposes of this scholarship to have some guidelines and draw the line in the sand somewhere. We did seek a lot of industry advice about this and feel we have come to an agreeable definition.

Arthur - As Rough Guides is published in English , we need someone who can write confidently in English, so unfortunately you cannot submit in another language.

38

Hi, I was wondering whether I would still be eligible - in a few weeks (as in, after the competition closes), I will have a casual job at a small newspaper. I will only be working 10-15 hours per week, but it will potentially be my only job, meaning I will derive all my income from writing. Does this exclude me from the competition?

Natalie Mar 15, 2011 3:53 PM

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Happy to present my self ,I belong to Pakistan.I love travelling.I have explore all our northern areas,beside this i have travel Syria,Iran respectively.Hope you will give me a chance for this.

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I was comment #38, & I would just like to add that the job I was speaking about will be my first paid writing job (everything else has been work experience during uni), so I will still only be just beginning my career as a writer - I really hope I am still eligible for the comp!

Natalie Mar 16, 2011 10:42 PM

43

Hi,

Can you submit more than 1 entry? I can't find this in the T&C.

Thanks,

Sophie

Hi Sophie, One entry per person as stated in the 'Apply Now' section above.

44

Dear Moderator,

I have had 4 pieces of travel writing published and about 10 others related to completely different themes. My earnings from writing are well under the 25% mark as I have only managed to get some freelance assignments so far. I wanted to check if I qualify for this scholarship. Thanks!

anechka Mar 18, 2011 3:13 AM

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wow how could you write a story in 500 words??? If i travel so many things happening i even could tell you that in 500000000.but whatever i'll get done!

nor Mar 18, 2011 9:59 AM

46

Hi Amanda, No I am not sending the same piece, it's just that I wanted to confirm if last year's finalists are eligible to apply again.Thanks

Ragini Mar 18, 2011 8:16 PM

47

Hi, I'm vegetarian, does this impact my chances of getting the scholarship?

No, thats fine

Tabitha Mar 19, 2011 1:26 AM

48

hi,

sorry, another question (hopefully less idiotic this time!), can you submit something that's already been published or does it have to be brand new?

51

I am a journalist with business paper and I am keep to join as I entered this writing industry to be able to one day pursue travel writing, and now my query can I or can I be eligible for this scholarship?

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Hello, this sounds amazing.. I just have one dilema. I'm a dramaturgy student, and at the moment I don't have a steady job.. Am I fullfiling the critera for aplying for the scholarship ( nonprofesional writer etc) ? Thanx Cheers

Ana Mar 22, 2011 11:02 AM

54

Just to clarify on Anechka's query... I have had many articles published in a newspaper, but only through unpaid work experience. Would this rule me out?

Bee Mar 22, 2011 11:06 AM

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Re: comment no. 54 - I should add, none of these articles have been about travel!

Bee Mar 22, 2011 11:25 AM

56

It's a shame professional writers are excluded... there are so many of us around who are doing what we can to scratch a living while writing, yet are desperate to break in to the travel scene! Good luck to the winner though, it's a terrific opportunity.

I appreciate there are lots of talented travel writers out there working in other writing industries trying to break across, but unfortunately for this particular opportunity, we are looking for someone who is starting their writing career. We will take all this feedback on board and reconsider for next year's program.

McFlurry - I am afraid you will not be eligible.

Ana - yes being a student is absolutely fine, you are not working as a writer so you can apply.

Bee - unpaid published writing does not preclude you from applying.

Ben - I hear you! See comments above.

Ayush - Yes you can write about anywhere.

Cat - yes paid work as a writer for RG would put you in the stead of being a professional writer for the purposes of this scholarship. Hopefully that experience will help you find more work.

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Hi there

Another grey area question (sorry!) I work in production for a magazine publisher where I divide my time between production and sub-editing. I've also written pieces for two of our mags over the last year. Does either the sub-editing or writing preclude me from this comp?

inbetween? Mar 23, 2011 2:13 PM

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Man, i am just 17 years old but very passionate about treading into new places and knowing more about the different cultures, their history and about them. i have undertaken many journeys alone and i love to discover new things. Ah! the pleasures of curiosity being quenched is incomparable to anything else. unfortunately, my age takes away my chance of participating in this. i visit this page daily and with a sad heart leave it. wish i was 1 year older, i'd have rocked Istanbul then. will have to wait for one more year before you organize another event like this. All the best in advance to the winner,btw, can the minimum age limit be reduced?

64

:( i was really wishing to partesipate but iam not good at all with english writing , yes i can do the normal writing but not a profisional writing ,also i'm one of those whom deosn't have the ability of delivering what i want to say, and i traveled alot inside Egypt and i have alot to tell ,but unfortunatly i wont be able to do it in the perfect way and it will loose alot of it's meanning. and Turkey really is the country tht i want to visit the most also the far East.

from my heart i'm wishing all the participants the best of the best of luck , and congratiolation in advance for the winner.

65

Hi,

I contribute regularly (as in 7 articles over 16 months or so) to a hiking magazine for very little money. Does this make me ineligible (even though I hardly make anything and am not a published travel writer)?

66

It's very sad that editors (who don't write, but EDIT) are unable to apply as per your answer to someone above. Under your T&C, they are by right, NOT writers and do not derive their income from writing, so they should be eligible.

This opportunity would be great for me, but it looks like I'm unable to join as I work as an editor for a travel mag (but I don't get to go places and it's a deskbound job).

68

Thanks for your comments, and we understand this represents a dream opportunity for many writers. But you also need to understand that we have to draw the line somewhere. So please appreciate that we need to have terms and conditions and of course we will re-consider parameters of eligibility next year.

Rachelljz - I think you have a valid point about editors, and providing you are not writing as part of your paid role as a editor, you can apply.

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i am adebaru mekuanint i have been working woreda hiv/aids and prevention control office project co ordinator now i want to be exprience sharing with other contry that thi why to apply this opportunity

70

Just noticed there had been an answer but my question was overlooked. Don't mean to nag but I'd love to find out please?

I completely agree that you have to draw a line but I just haven't yet figured out on which side of the line i'm sitting...

I contribute regularly (as in 7 articles over 16 months or so) to a hiking magazine for very little money. Does this make me ineligible (even though I hardly make anything and am not a published travel writer)?

71

Hi.I was reading few of the stories writen by all the future travel writers in this contest, and some of them are very nice. Why don`t you publish a book / pocket book with top stories?Just a suggestion.Marianne

Marianne Mar 24, 2011 11:00 PM

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hii i jus wanted to enquire if these happens every year..? or is this justt one this time please let me knw..!!

76

Hii am fascinated...I am good at writing...but due a chronic chilliban problem would not be able to bike...can I still apply..and would there be any upper age limit as i am presently a non traditional student....

77

Hey Amanda,

Yay, entry posted! I have more of a technical question regarding word limit. In Microsoft Word my entry is being counted as 499 words (just scraped in!) however after I entered it I checked an online word counter and it's coming up as 501 words. Would it be advisable to edit a word or two out of my entry to avoid being disqualified? Different websites keep giving me different numbers! Is it instant disqualification for possibly (but then again, possibly not, depending on who's counting) being one word over? Hope you have time to answer before entries close!

78

Me again! I've figured it out! Online word counters count "it's" as 2 words... So my question still stands. Would it be safer to change it? I would generally argue that "it's" is a single word, albeit a contraction of two words to form one. What do you think?

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Thanks for making this fun opportunity available. If nothing else, I had a great time working on my piece. Since everyone's submissions are posted here on World Nomads, I was wondering if there was any way to browse through what our fellow contestants have written? I think it would be great to be able to read each other's work and possibly connect with other aspiring travel writers.

87

Hi - I have a question - I submitted my story on time but I think I reformatted after the deadline because it was possibly so I figured it was allowed. I got a confirmation email that I had entered, though, and now I am interested in changing my title. will I be disqualified if I do that? Thanks!

88

After poking around the website a bit I answered my own question. The other entries can be found here: http://adventures.worldnomads.com/tags/?t=Travel+Writing+Scholarship+2011

Over one thousand of them! Some really good pieces, too. Good luck to everyone who entered! And best of luck to the judges as well -- picking the winner out of all the excellent entries will be a difficult task!

89

Oops!I was just checking my submission and realized it was posted under my existing Journal - the one I've had for years. The instructions state we should open a new journal for the writing competition.

Do I need to clarify anything or will I simply be taken out back and shot? Thanks,

91

Hi,

I am a student and act as a section editor of my university's newspaper in my free time, which is unpaid and doesn't involve much of my own writing. I have been published in newspaper's before, but only twice and, again, unpaid, so presumably this makes me an unprofessional writer?

92

Hello,

I was wondering when the winners would be announced on the 28th (as in would it be Australian Eastern Daylight time again?) The winners will probably be posted before I get a reply but thought it was worth asking.